Crane



l Laos-,10a M. sHUTT l CRANE Nov. 9 1926.

Filed Jan. 27, 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 9 1926.

M. SHUTT CRA'NE 'Fi1edJan...27, 1923 5 shams-sheet 2 TOR M. SHUTT CRANEFiled Jan. 27, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Nov. 9 1926. 1,606,106

5 Sheets-Sheet 4 M. SHUT-r CRANE Filed Jan. 27,1923 ,K

Nov. 9 1926 Nav. 9 '1926. 1,606,106

M. SHUTT CRANE Filed Jan. 27, 19275 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 mvENToR PatentedNov. 9, 1926.

MILO SHUTT, OF ALLIANCE, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE ALLIANCE MACHINE COMPANY,OF ALLIANCE, OHIO, lA CORPORATION OF OHIO.`

CRANE.'

Application Vfiled January 27, 1912-3. Serial No. 615,307..

The present invention relates broadly to cranes, and more particularlyto crane trolleys of the plural drum type having improved means foroperating the hoisting mechanism and certain other novel features whichwill hereinafter appear.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a plan view of my improved crane;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the crane;

Figure 3 is an end view of one of the niechanical brakes, partlybroken'away to illustrate the ratchet mechanism;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line :iV-IV of Figure 3; v

Figure 5 is a detail view of an element of the brake;

Figure 6 is a detail side elevation showing the relative arrangement ofa hoisting drum and its co-operating sheaves and cable;

Figure 7 lis an end view of the structure shown in Figure 6, and

Figures 8 and 9 are detail views taken at right angles to each otherillustratingthe connection of the beam which carries the upper sheaveblock to the frame.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the reference numeral 2designates the trolley frame of a ladle crane, supported on the wheels 3which run on the rails 4. An electric motor 5 is mounted' on the trolleyframe and is arranged to drive certain of the wheels i 3 for moving thetrolley along the rails 4 through suitable gear trains 6, 7, 8, 9, k10and 11. Y A ,p The frame 2 has mounted therein a pair of hoisting drums12 and a pair of4 electric motors 13 for driving the same. Each drum hasrigidly secured thereto at one end thereof aV large gear 14 and each ofthese gears is connected toa driving motor 13 through a train of gears15, 16. 17. 18 and 19. The main shafts 20 of the motors 13 are gearedtogether to rotate in unison and at the same speed by means of largeAgears 21. A

The reference numeral 22 indicates the mechanical brakes, one mountedupon an end of each motor shaft v20. Referring to Fig- J ure 4, it willbe seen that the motor shaft 20 is formed adjacent its end with athreaded portion 23. Mounted upon the threaded portion 23 is a sleeve24, internally threaded for co-operation with the threaded portion 23and having formed integrally with one end thereof the gear 17, and withthe other end thereof clutch member 25. Mounted upon the end portion ofthe shaft 20 beyond the threaded portion 23 and keyed thereto is aSecond sleeve 26, this sleeve being held on the shaft by means of a nut27 and having formed integrally withlone end thereof a clutch member 28.The sleeves 24 and 26' are journaled in the brake housing 2,9 which issecured rigidly to the frame 2, suitableV bushingsV 3(7)` and 31 beinginterposed between the sleeves and housing.l The sleevesr24 and 26 areformed with interlocking bearing portions 32 and 33 projecting beyondthe clutch members and 28 and journaled upon these bearing portions is afriction gear 34 having secured to one face thereof, for co-operationwith the clutch member28, a friction ring 3,5 of wood or Vother suitablefriction mate-4 rial. As seen in Figures 4 and, the clutch n members 25and l28 are provided with suitable oil grooves 36 supplied with oil fromthe interior ofthe housing 29 through the openings 37 in said clutchmembers.. For permitting the friction gear 34 to rotate in one directiononly,othere is provided one or more pinions 38, Figure 3, forco-operation withsaid gear, each of said pinions being journaled upon apin 39 extending transversely through the housing 29 and fixed againstrotation.r Extending diametrically through `a suitablek opening in eachpin 39 is a pawl 40 adapted to co-operate with teeth 41 formedinternally of the pinion 38. This. construction is of a well known typepermitting rotation of the friction gear 34 in the direction of thearrow, Figure 3, but` preventingrotation'thereof in thev opposite divrection.

The `operation of the structure so fargdei scribedis substantiallyasfollows: assuming that the clutch.v illustrated in- Figure 4 is forcontrolling the shaft 2O of the motor 13 at the right of Figure 1, inlowering the load the shaft will be rotated in the direction of thearrow, Figure 4, the motor being energized to yoperate at a definitespeed in the lowering direction. rlhis will tend to move the sleeve 24in a directionto back the clutch member 25 away from the frictiongear'34, the latter being held against rotation by the pinion 38. VNowthe shaft 2O in rotating also rotates the Vsleeve 26 which is keyedthereto and the sleeve 26' isadapted to drive the sleeve 24 through theinterlocklili) ing bearing portions 32 and 33, but there is sufficientclearance between the latter to permit the sleeve 24 to be movedlongitudinally of the shaft 2O suiiiciently to relieve the frictionbetween the friction gear 34 and the clutch members 25 and 28, aspreviously explained. In lowering the load, the pinion 17 willordinarily be driven by the load it-V` self through .the drum l2 andinterconnecting gears 14, l5 and 16 rather than through the positivedriving connection between the sleeves 24 and 26. It will be apparentthat the pinio'n 17 cannot be caused to rotate through the pull of theloa'd at a faster rate of rotation than the rate of rotation of theshaft 20. Whenever the pinion 17 tends to rotate at a faster rate thanthe rate of rotation of the shaft 20, the sleeve 24 is moved in l'adirection to cause the clutch member 25 to frictionally engagetheffriction gear 34 whereby the rotation 'of the sleeve 24 isimmediately retarded. -Therefore, by this construction, ythe load isprevented from accelerating the motor during the lowering operation andif the shaft 20 ceases to rotate, the loa-d will be held from falling bythe vbrake device.y However, in case one of the motors should 'breakdown during the lowering operation, its shaft 2O would be operated inunison with'the shaft 20 of the vother motor through the gear'connection 21 between said shafts. In other words, cach motor 13 hascomplete control over both motor shafts 2O vand their. respective brakesat all times during the lowering operation, so that the load can belowered by eitherV motor alone or by both motors together, the brakesfunctioning to take the str in of the load off the motors and to preventthe loa-d from 'accelerating the vmotors during the loweringvoperationand to hold the load when both motors are stopped.

vices 38, 39, 4() yand 4l.

In raising the load, the shaft 20, `Figure 4, rotates in a directionopposite tothedi'rection of the arrow, and thereforetends to move thesleeve 24 towards the `friction gear 34 so as to clamp the latterbetween the clutch members and 28, whereby th-e friction gear rotateswith the shaft 20,"such rotation being permitted by Ithe ratchet de- Itwill be apparent, however, that these ratchet devices will hold the loadand keep it from falling when the motors are stopped, while permittingthe load to be raised by either motor alone, or by both motors together.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that I have provided aconstruction wherein a plurality of drums can be operated and theirrespective brake devices controlled by a plurality of motors for raisingan-d'lowering the load, or wherein said drums can be operated and theirrespective braking devicescontro'lled'by any one-of said motors alonefor raising and loweringl the load. -It

will be obvious to those skilled in the art that by the use of aplurality of motors, the entire apparatus is operated normally withgreater uniformity thanrwould be the case if a single motor wasprovided. Elow` ever, in certain cases the failure of one ino torimposes the entire load on the remaining motor or motors, thereby ineffect providing -a modified construction broadly equivalent to the useof a single motor. It immediately becomes apparent, therefore, that incertain cases, due to clearance, weight or the like, specifications maycall for but one motor.

Referring to Figures 6 and 7 .the reference numerals 42 and 43 indicateupper and lower sheave' blocks and 44 a hoisting cable, the latterhaving' 'one Vend fastened to an eye member 45 carried by the frame 2.It will be seen that the hoisting cable 44 passes around the drumv l2and upper and lower sheaves so as to bend always inthe same direction.yThis arrangement has the advantage over constructions in which thehoisting `cable passes around the drum and sheaves in reverse directionsthat the life of the cable is prolonged. y Y.

By reference to Figures 8 and 9, it will be seen that the lower sheaveblock 43 has its axle 47 journaled in standards43 carried by the liftingbeam 49 `and that the upper sheave block 42 has its aXle 50 journaled inhangers 51 carried by beam 52 whichy eX- tends transversely ofthe frame2 and parallel to the axis of the drum 12. Said beam 52 has fixed toeachof its yopposite end portions an upwardly extending member 53 carrying1a pin 54 journaled in the frame 2,. The beam 52 .which Vsupportstherupper sheave block 42 is thus swingingly supported in the frame 2.Now Athe starting and stopping of the crane tends to set up oscillationsin the lifting beam 49, vbut by supporting vthe upper sheave blocks in aswingingbeam this tendency of the lifting beam to oscillate is largelycounteracted, the oscillations being` set up in therswing'ing beam'52instead. v V n n An important advantage of the invention arises from theprovision of a swinging support for the upper sheaves, whereby theoscillations setup in starting'and stopping the crane are largely takenup by the upper sheaves and their supporting means.

I claim:

l. In a Yhoisting apparatus, a trolley frame, 'fa hoisting drum mountedon the frame, a swingable support suspended from the frame with the axisabout -which it lswings substantially `parallel to the axis of the drum,saidsupport having links at opposite sides 'thereof Athrough which itissuspended from the said frame, a'sheave rotatlably carriedr'inthesupport, a cableoperatmg aroundthesheave land drum, and a secondload-carrying sheave suspended from the first through said cable,substantially as described.

2. In a hoisting apparatus, a vtrolley frame, a hoisting drum on theframe, a beam pivotally suspended from the frame With the aXiS aboutwhich it pivots substantially parallel to the aXis of the drum, a sheavesuspended from the beam, a `second sheave below the iirst, and a cablepassing around the sheaves and connected With the drum, substantially asdescribed.

3. In hoisting apparatus, a trolley frame, a pair of hoisting drums, alifting beam, and

means for connecting said lifting beam to said drums, comprising a pairot lower sheaves carried by said beam adjacent the ends thereof, a pairof upper sheaves, a beam supporting each upper sheave and pvoted to thetrolley frame to rock about an axis eX- tending transversely thereof,and a cable associated With each drum and the corresponding pair otupper and lower sheaves, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. 1

MiLo sHUTT.

